Ruda – Älghult railway line

Ruda-Älghult
Inauguration of the Älghult train station
Route length:	45.7 km
Gauge :	891 mm ( Swedish 3-foot track )
Maximum slope :	16  ‰
Minimum radius :	300 m
Top speed:	40 km / h
Operating points and routes
Legend Kalmar – Berga railway from Berga Ruda – Oskarshamn railway from Oskarshamn 32.9 Ruda Kalmar – Berga railway to Kalmar 35.7 Alebo Trändeån 37.1 Basthult Elmhultsbro (1922–1963) 41.1 Sinnerskog Sinnerbo (1922–1963) 43.3 Allgunnen Skurebo (1922–1963) 44 Sjönäs Allgunnen Badebodaån 49.6 Grönlid (1922–1963) 53.8 Torsmåla Mönsterås – Åseda railway from Fagerhult 56.5 Skoghult (1912-1963) Railway line Mönsterås – Åseda to Mönsterås Kalmar län / Kronobergs län border Alsterån 63.5 Fröseke (1923–1963) 70.5 Rydefors (1923-1963) 71.7 Hohults snickerifabrik (1923–1963) 72.8 Hohultslätt (1923–1963) Alsterån 74.9 Åkerslund (1923–1963) 79.4 Älghult (Älghultsby, 1922–1963) Östra Värends Järnväg to Brittatorp

The Ruda – Älghult ( Swedish: Ruda – Älghults Järnväg ) (RÄJ) was a 45.7 kilometer Swedish railway line from Ruda in Kalmar län to Älghult in Kronobergs län . It had a track width of 891 mm and was opened to traffic in stages between 1922 and 1923. Passenger traffic ceased in 1963, but the line was used until 1967 for vehicle traffic between the narrow-gauge railways that remained in Småland .

history

The Ruda – Älghult railway line was an extension of the 33 km long, operated by the Ruda – Finsjö – Oskarshamns Järnvägsaktiebolag , Ruda – Oskarshamn railway line .

The history of the construction of the Ruda – Älghult line is closely linked to the Ruda – Oskarshamn line. The first plans for the route to Oskarshamn were planned via Kråksmålabygden. Therefore, efforts were made to extend this only 33 km long route to Oskarshamn, as the company could not use personnel and material rationally with this route.

Two proposals for an extension were considered: the first to Grönskåra on the Mönsterås – Växjö railway line , the second via Sävsjöström to Älghults. A license was applied for for the latter variant, but this was rejected.

In the meantime, a decision was made in 1912 to build a narrow-gauge railway from Älghult via Sävsjöström to Brittatorp on the Växjö – Åseda – Hultsfred railway line . Work on this Brittatorp – Älghult (Östra Värends Järnväg) line began in 1917 when government bonds were granted. Älghult became the eastern end point of this route. The linking of the Brittatorp – Älghult and Ruda – Oskarshamn lines was the natural consequence, because the cities of Oskarshamn and Växjö were connected directly to each other by the narrow-gauge railway. Furthermore, the railway connected several communities with their numerous industrial companies and large forest areas with an almost ice-free port.

On July 22, 1915, Mayor H. Graders, Director M. Linder and Vice Consul GL Wijkström from Oskarshamn, mine owner A. Johannson from Kronofors and Cantor V. Hoffman from Älghult applied for the concession for a 47-kilometer-long route with a gauge of 891 mm Älghult to Ruda. The gauge was determined in accordance with the sketches and estimates of the master in Väg- och vattenbyggnadskåren R. Ekwall. The estimated cost was 1,630,000 crowns , plus the vehicles.

Subsequently, District Administrator J. Zetterstedt applied for a concession on March 14, 1916 for a railway line with the gauge of 891 mm from Alsterbro on the Mönsterås – Växjö railway to Älghult in accordance with the drawings and cost estimates of the engineer LV Holmer. The royal building office commissioned Vägoch vattenbyggnadsstyrelsen to instruct the governments of Kronobergs län and Kalmar län to listen to the residents of the places that the railway would touch and to record changes.

The voting meeting took place in Högsby , Kalmar Lan, on December 15, 1916. The concession applicants for the Alsterbro – Älghult line argued that Älghults socken was traditionally part of the trading zone of the city of Kalmar, that the city had a strong interest in a Kalmar – Berga railway line and that the line to Mönsterås would be in favor. For the route to Mönsterås it would be extremely detrimental if Älghult's plans were to be implemented differently than proposed by the applicants. This could create an emergency for future customers of the railway. In contrast, the prospects for the line to Mönsterås would be much better if it enabled the Alsterbro – Älghult line to be built without the participation of the state.

In a letter presented at the meeting, the board of directors of Ruda – Finsjö – Oskarshamns järnväg emphasized that the construction of the Älghult – Ruda line would be necessary so that it could meet its transport obligations in the country and towards the state with its extensive forests around Lake Allgunnen . In addition, the route could be part of the overall Växjö – Oskarshamn connection, which would open up the southern part of the country. The connection between Älghult and the coast would be best ensured by a direct railway line via Ruda. In support of Alsterbro's proposal, representatives from Mönsterås spoke on behalf of Kalmar.

The provincial government of Kalmar Lan recognized that the Ruda proposal was of the greatest importance for the construction of a transport hub, but expressed concerns that this would deprive the route to Mönsterås much of its traffic. It was therefore questioned whether the owners of the Älghult – Ruda line would pursue a concession to a suitable connection point on the line to Mönsterås or would prefer the newly proposed Alsterbro – Älghult line.

The provincial government of Kronobergs län emphasized that local interested parties would unanimously support the Älghult-Ruda proposal. The head of the eastern Vägoch vattenbyggnadsdistrikt , the board of the state domain and the Vägoch vattenbyggnadsstyrelsen also spoke out in favor of the proposal .

Ruda – Älghults järnvägsaktiebolag

On December 14, 1917 the license and the request to subscribe for shares were granted, on December 29, 1917 Ruda-Älghults järnvägsaktiebolag was constituted . Mayor Henning Grauers as spokesman, director Mauritz Linder, consul Gustaf Lorentz Wijkström, landowner Anders Johansson and cantor V. Hoffman formed the first board of directors of the company.

The largest shareholders were the town of Oskarshamn with 700,000 kroner, the municipality of Älghultsby with 280,000 kroner and Ruda – Finsjö – Oskarshamns Järnvägsaktiebolag with 55,200 kroner. The municipalities of Högsby and Fliseryd and AB Svenska fönsterglasbruken each subscribed to shares worth 50,000 kroner. A government loan applied for was approved with 1.525 million crowns. Major J. Ekelund from Vägoch vattenbyggnadskåren made new plans and a new cost estimate in 1918. The cost was estimated at 3,050,000 crowns excluding vehicles. The changes to the cost estimate were approved on June 13, 1919.

The price increases after the First World War had a major impact on the planned railway construction. The increase in costs was financed with an additional loan of 207,000 crowns.

construction

The company decided to build the line on its own. In 1920, engineer Johan Svensson was hired for building supervision. After construction began, the company joined the Svenska väg- och vattenbyggarnas arbetsgivarförbund . The employers' association triggered a strike in collective bargaining that began on April 1, 1920 and suspended work until February 1921.

After the strike, track construction on the Ruda – Skoghult section started again. On November 1, 1921 Johan Svensson announced the imminent completion. However, the costs did not stay within the framework, with 936,000 crowns the estimate was exceeded by 216,500 crowns.

The company then decided to start operations on the Skoghult route until the financing issue was resolved. One kilometer was still missing when another strike broke out in December 1921, which only ended in July 1922.

Johan Svensson has since given up on his job and has been replaced by the ROJ traffic manager , Helge Petersson. Under his direction, the work to Skoghult was completed and on November 14, 1922, the Ruda – Skoghult section was opened to public transport.

Work on the Skoghult – Älghult section began immediately. The lack of money to complete the route had been bridged by a bank loan during the strike. On February 22, 1923, the Ruda – Älghult line was connected to the Östra Värends Järnväg, ÖVJ . This created a narrow-gauge connection between Oskarshamn, Växjö, Västervik and a number of other places in the region. On August 19, 1923, the route was opened for public use. The first traffic manager for ROJ and RÄJ was Gustaf Fredrik Petersson.

The total cost of the final invoice was DKK 3,556,007 excluding vehicles. A narrow-gauge line with a gauge of 891 mm and a length of 45.7 kilometers was created for this. The rails weighed 17.7 kg per meter , the maximum gradient was 16 ‰, the minimum radius 300 meters and the maximum speed 40 km / h. An agreement has been signed with KBJ and Östra Värends Järnväg on the use of the respective Ruda and Älghult stations.

A joint administration was also agreed with ROJ and an agreement was reached that the RÄJ would be operated by the ROJ with its vehicles and personnel. The rest of the staff was hired by RÄJ, 20 people in 1923.

In Älghult, RÄJ also paid for the construction of a locomotive shed with one track and space for two locomotives. The OVJ's locomotive shed, which was of the same type, was connected to the RÄJ shed. There was a shared turntable in front of the shed . Both engine sheds were demolished in 1967.

The company went bankrupt in 1931.

Östra Smålands Järnvägsaktiebolag

RÄJ and Ruda – Oskarshamns Järnvägsaktiebolag (ROJ), which had also gone bankrupt, were transferred to Östra Smålands Järnvägsaktiebolag (ÖSmJ) on July 1, 1932 , which was a subsidiary of Kalmar läns östra järnvägsaktiebolag . This subsidiary was dissolved on January 1, 1937 and integrated directly into Kalmar läns östra järnvägsaktiebolag .

→ Main article : Östra Smålands Järnväg

nationalization

The Squid Berga Järnvägsaktiebolag was born on July 1, 1940 as part of the general railway nationalization in Sweden by the State and Statens Järnvägar integrated. Passenger traffic increased during the Second World War , so that passenger trains pulled by steam locomotives were replaced by railcars. The freight traffic continued to be carried out with steam locomotives until the line was closed.

attitude

All traffic was stopped on September 29, 1963. However, the line was still used by the state railways for the transport of vehicles between the remaining 891 mm narrow-gauge railway networks in the Kalmar area and the network between Växjö and Västervik until all activities in the Kalmar area were suspended in 1967. The line was demolished in 1968.

photos

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  Sinnerskog train station

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  Fröseke station

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  Basthult train station

Web links

Commons : Ruda-Älghults Järnväg  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Rolf Sten: RÄJ, Ruda – Älghultsby Järnväg. In: historiskt.nu. Retrieved February 7, 2015 (Swedish). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ruda – Skoghult – Älghult. Bandel 550, SJ district 27 bs. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved February 2, 2015 (Swedish). 
2. ↑ Östra Värends och Östra Småland Järnvägar. Cykla Banvall, accessed February 17, 2015 (Swedish).